Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia
Days after US President Donald Trump revealed that he has spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the three-year-old Ukraine war, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held discussions with his American counterpart Marco Rubio in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, February 18, 2025. Neither Ukraine nor Europe were invited for the talks between the two world powers – the first high-level in-person meeting since the war started in February 2022 .
Trump’s initiative is a significant move in the direction of finding a solution to the protracted war that has killed thousands of people and cost billions of dollars to multiple stakeholders.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is miffed at not being invited for the talks and has threatened he will not recognise any agreements reached in Riyadh. There is a reason why Zelenskyy was not brought on board in the initial rounds. Trump believes Putin is the only person who can end the war. That’s why he is holding discussions with the Russian side first. Once there is absolute clarity on what will take to end the insane war, Trump or his representatives will tap Ukraine to implement the plan. Zelenskyy may not have any other option but to fall in line. He is obviously not in a position to call the shots.
Not just Ukraine, European governments that were funding and abetting the war along with the previous Biden administration have also been shown their place. Alarmed that conflict may end without their involvement, the European leaders are staring at the prospects of being sidelined. British prime minister claimed he was ready to send UK troops to Ukraine if there is a peace agreement.
Apart from Lavrov, Putin’s foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov attended the closed-door Riyadh meeting. US national security adviser Mike Waltz and Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff filled the US side of the table, along with Secretary of State Rubio.
The crucial meeting shows a major paradigm shift in Washington’s approach to the conflict. The earlier Biden dispensation had sought to isolate Russia and almost succeeded in prolonging the war by handholding Ukraine to the wrong direction. Biden did not allow any high-level contact with Russia, which he claimed was not serious about ending the war. The Biden administration also approved close to $170 billion to Ukraine, but Zelenskyy said he receive only $70 billion, raising the possibility of high-level corruption. However, it is not clear if all of the approved amount was disbursed.
The talks with Russia may also cover wider aspects that concern the US, not just Ukraine. Trump is keen to revive the frozen trade relations with Russia as US companies lost billions after they were forced to pull out of Moscow at the instance of the Biden administration.
